This year, Bud and I worked as a vendor coordinators of the Coventry Street Fair.  It was a pretty sweet gig, as Bud worked with Steve Presser (the owner of Big Fun) and I had to do very little of the actual work.  For my part, I had to take the volunteers out for coffee, help chalk the sidewalk, help coordinate the vendor set up, and spend the day walking up and down Coventry enjoying myself.

The crowds were out in full force.  The fair opened at noon, and by 1 things were in full swing.  You can see by the photo that there was no lull in the attendance.  From one end of the district to the other, it was busy and everyone was having a great time.

While I have not attended the Coventry Street Fair often, it seems that this year it was getting pretty green.  One of the volunteers was even Michele Kilroy, Executive Director of the Cleveland Chapter of the USGBC.  Straight back from Greening the Heartland to the Coventry Street Fair!

The Community Greenhouse Partners were there selling salads from the first lettuces from their new gardens.  ( Go Tim and Sarah!) There were a lot of vendors selling work made from recycled or upcycled materials.  In case you are wondering what the difference is, recycled means made from items that have been broken down and turned into raw materials, then into new goods.  Upcycled means things taken directly from the waste stream and turned back into goods.  For example, I loved these upcycled decorative items made from used magazines:

The overall vibe was so family friendly, laid back and fun.  There were bands, street performers, magicians, all kinds of fun.  There were performance artists rapping, hip hop dancing, and even teaching people how to dance. It was a great day overall, and the weather could not have been more beautiful.  My farmer’s tan is getting pretty dark!

Here are a few other images from the fair:

Thanks to all of the patrons and a special thanks to Michelle Kilroy, Judy Montgomery, Blake Zimmerman, Jeff Anderly and all the other volunteers who helped us out!